DAYSPA Magazine

Sustainable Sincerity

Our upcoming Green Scene ("Mayan Marvel," September 2010) contains helpful tips on how to detect greenwashing when perusing "organic" product labels. That's when companies try to unjustifiably tout a product's environmental virtues.

As John Vater, co-ower of Spa Adriana in Huntington, New York, warns, "The big print giveth and the small print taketh away."

Here's some information about avoiding this pitfall:

Read labels with a discriminating eye.
John and his wife, co-owner Adriana Vater, caution spa professionals against taking a product label at face value. "If the packaging claims it doesn't contain something, you should ask yourself what's there to do that ingredient's job," Adriana says. "Every component of a product has a purpose, and sometimes a so-called 'green' ingredient is just as offensive as the original."
Educate yourself.
The Vaters say it's important to develop an understanding of how product ingredients work. "With today's Internet access, you can quickly look up the chemical composition of any item," John says.

It's not always easy going green. How do you ensure that your spa's environmental initiatives result in real, positive change? Send your ideas to Katie O'Reilly, associate editor, at koreilly@creativeage.com.

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Spa Moves

The Keystone Lodge & Spa (keystonelodge.rockresorts.com) in Colorado recently opened the eco-friendly RockResort Spa, which operates on both wind power and natural light. Strategically placed windows throughout the 10,000-square-foot facility invite sweeping mountain views for lucky guests. Features include 10 treatment rooms, an outdoor pool, an infinity-edge chromotherapy tub and a Vichy shower room. “Guests visit our world-class resort for the beauty and majesty of the Colorado Rockie Mountains, so we have a special obligation and opportunity to protect the environment and give them a way to connect with it,” says spa director Michael Simmons. The commitment to renewable energy resources extends to every facet of the spa’s operations, including the use of green cleaning products, cups, trash bags and spa uniforms. The spa menu was inspired by Aboriginal healing techniques. One signature treatment, Yanko, is a full-body exfoliation rhythmically applied using native aromatic oils and desert salts (50 min/$125).

Daireds Salon and Spa Pangea (daireds.com) in Arlington, TX, has completed the expansion of its 3,000-square-foot Med Spa, which includes eight unique, globally themed treatment rooms, two consultation rooms and a waiting area.

Spa Moves

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